Automobile body repair tool



Oct. 17, 1967 R. J. FLOWER 3,347,084

AUTOMOBILE BODY REPAIR TOOL Filed Aug. 24, 1965 I ll 19 \/Lg/ m /2 FIG. I

I INVENTOR. v m RICHARD J. FLOWER ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofi 3,347,084 Patented Oct. 17, 1967 ice 3,347,084 AUTOMOBILE BODY REPAIR TOOL Richard J. Flower, 106 Canal St., Staten Island, N.Y. 10304 Filed Aug. 24, 1965, Ser. No. 482,107 3 Claims. (Cl. 72-457) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An automobile body repair tool adapted to be applied to a jack, consisting of an elongated plate normally pivoted between two jaws by a bolt passing through a first hole in the plate centered intermediate the length and width of the plate. A second hole is provided on one side of the first hole nearer the front edge of the plate, and a third hole is provided on the other side of the first hole nearer the rear edge of the plate. The pivot bolt is selectively insertable through any of the three holes.

This invention relates to tools used in combination with jacks for repairing damaged automobile bodies, and more particularly the invention is for a tool for restoring the original shape to deformed ridges or grooves in the bodies, including the fenders, of automobiles. Modern styling of automobiles provides for one or a plurality of more or less elongated corrugations most of which extend longitudinally of the vehicle. Normally it is desirable to apply pressure, as by a jack, at right angles to the body portion in which the deformed corrugation is positioned. In many cases, however, it is not possible to gain proper access to the damaged area by such right-angle application of the jack thereto. The tool of the present invention is of such a nature that it will function to exert pressure directly against the damaged groove while the jack exerts its force either at a right angle to the damaged area or at a smaller or larger angle thereto.

An object of the invention is therefore to provide a jack-operated body repairing tool particularly adapted for repair of deformed ridges or grooves, whereby the axis of the jack plunger may be positioned at an angle to the damaged area varying considerably from a right angle.

Another object of the invention is the provision in combination with a jack plunger having a threaded extremity, of a pivoted groove restoring tool or attachment threadably mounted on the plunger, and also to provide such a tool or attachment with an adapter to so mount the tool on the plunger.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an attachment as stated above, which consists of a relatively elongated plate pivoted to a threaded stem and an adapter for releasably securing the attachment to the threaded end of a jack plunger.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an attachment as set forth, wherein the said threaded stem has on one end thereof spaced parallel jaws provided with aligned passages and wherein the said plate is pivotally mounted between the jaws by passing a screw bolt through the aligned passages and a hole in the plate, one of the said passages being screw threaded so that the plate is removably mounted on the stem.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a plurality of like holes in the said plate so that the pivotal axis of the plate may be varied. For example, the first hole is preferably positioned substantially or approximately at the midpoint of the plate, and the other holes are so positioned with respect to the first hole that a variety of ranges of angles is available at which the jack plunger may be directed to apply pressure to the damaged groove and the distance from the pivot axis to one end of the plate, that is, the reach of the plate into a limited space, may be either lengthened or shortened.

The above as well as additional objects will be clarified in the following description wherein reference numerals refer to like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawing. It is to be noted that the drawing is intended primarily for the purpose of illustration and that it is therefore neither desired nor intended to limit the invention necessarily to any or all of the details shown or described ex cept insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a jack and jack plunger showing the attachment of the present invention applied thereto, with the plate pivoted on one of the plurality of axes.

FIG. 2 is a reduced side elevational view of the attachment and its adapter per se, with parts broken away and partly in section, also showing in phantom how the plate may be pivoted on the other pivotal axes.

FIG. 3 is an end view of FIG. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 10 indicates a conventional jack, usually hydraulic, such as is used in automobile body repair work, whose plunger 11 is provided with a threaded extremity 1-2.

The attachment of the present invention consists of a threaded stem 13 having integral with one end thereof a pair of mutually parallel relatively wide fiat jaws 14 having aligned passages 15, 16 therethrough. One passage, for example the passage 16, is threaded to receive a screw bolt 17.

An adapter sleeve 18 is used to mount the attachment on the threaded end 12 of the jack plunger. As shown, the stem 13 preferably has the same diameter as the plunger so that the threads on both are the same. The sleeve 18 is internally threaded complementarily to receive both the threaded end of the plunger and the threaded stern. Thus the stem is readily mounted on or detached from the plunger.

A relatively elongated plate 19 has a tapering but somewhat rounded forward edge 20; the rear edge 21 of the plate is preferably flat, as shown. A hole 22 is provided in the plate at substantially or approximately its midpoint or a point intermediate the length of the plate, and is receptive of the bolt 17, to mount the plate pivotally between the jaws 14.

The space between the jaws 14 has a fiat floor 23 at right angles to the axis of the stem 13. It is therefore apparent that the plate is free to pivot between the two extreme positions wherein its rear edge is stopped by the outer edges of the floor 23.

A corrugation in an automobile body presents a ridge on one surface and a groove on the opposite surface. To repair a dented ridge pressure is applied to the reverse groove. When a groove is so positioned that the application of the jack at other than a right angle to the surface of the body is impossible or inconvenient, the present tool obviously makes such application unnecessary. The front edge of the plate is registered in the damaged groove and the jack plunger may be positioned at any convenient angle to the surface within the angular range of the plate as above set forth. Then actuation of the jack urges the front plate edge against the damaged area or bulge in the groove so that the latter is readily pushed out. It is thus not necessary to set the jack plunger at any particular angle to the dented surface, as the free pivotal relationship between the plate 19 and the jack plunger assures the application of the pressure against the groove regardless of the angle of the plunger within the said angular range.

To give the tool a wider range of operation and hence thus enhance its utility, additional holes, for example,

holes 24 and 25, may be provided in the plate. The hole 24 is shown positioned to the left and rearward of the hole 22, and the hole 25 is shown positioned to the right and forward of the hole 22. Preferably but not necessarily the holes 24 and 25 are positioned longitudinally equidistant from the hole 22. It is obvious that when the pivot bolt passes through the hole 24 and the jaws occupy the position 14a in FIG. 2, the angle through which the plate may swing is larger than the equivalent angle when the pivot is through the hole 22, since in each direction of its swing the plate can move through a larger angle before its bottom edge is stopped by the end edges of the floor 23.. Conversely, when the pivotal axis is through the hole 25 with the jaws in the position 14b, the angular range of the plate is smaller than when the pivot is through the hole 22.

Aside from the variability of the angular range of the plate as just described, an additional advantage results from the provision of a plurality of holes in the plate. For example, a severe or deep dent may be located at or close to the end of a groove where the maximum amount of pressure by the plate is desired to push out the bulge. By shifting the pivot axis of the plate to one side or the other of the hole 22, the point of maximum force applied by the jack is correspondingly shifted. If the damaged portion of the groove is located a short distance beyond the reach of the plate, as because of an obstruction, when the pivot is through the hole 24, then shifting the pivot to one of the other holes will increase the reach of the plate. For example, if the distance between the dent and the hole 22 exceeds the distance be-.

tween the left-hand end, FIG. 2, of the plate and the said hole, then the reach of the plate to the left can be increased by shifting the pivot to the hole 25.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawing such is not to be construed as a limitation upon the invention which is best defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In combination with the plunger of a jack used in automobile body repair work, a member including a stem having spaced parallel jaws extending from one end there-.

of, said jaws having aligned passages therethrough, an elongated plate having a front edge and a rear edge and having a first hole therethrough intermediate the length and width thereof, said plate being mounted between said jaws with said first hole normally aligned with said, passages, a removable pivot bolt normally passing through said hole and said passages, said plate having a second hole therethrough similar to said first hole and offset both longitudinally and transversely from said first hole on one side of said first hole, said bolt being selectively insertable through either said first hole or said second hole, the space between said jaws having a floor, the distance between said first hole and said rear edge of the plate and between said second hole and said rear edge of the plate being less than the distance between said passages and said floor, and means for releasably locking said stem on the extremity of said plunger with the stem in alignment with the plunger.

2. A combination according to claim 1, said second hole being positioned closer to said front edge of the plate than said first hole.

3. A combination according toclaim 2, said plate having a third hole therethrough similar to said first hole positioned on the other side of said first hole and closer to said rear edge of the plate than said first hole, the distance between said third hole and said rear edge of the plate being less than said distance between said passages and said floor, said bolt being further insertable through said third hole.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS' RICHARD J. HERBST, Primaly Examiner.

E. SUTTON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH THE PLUNGER OF A JACK USED IN AUTOMOBILE BODY REPAIR WORK, A MEMBER INCLUDING A STEM HAVING SPACED PARALLEL JAWS EXTENDING FROM ONE END THEREOF, SAID JAWS HAVING ALIGNED PASSAGES THERETHROUGH, AN ELONGATED PLATE HAVING A FRONT EDGE AND A REAR EDGE AND HAVING A FIRST HOLE THERETHROUGH INTERMEDIATE THE LENGTH AND WIDTH THEREOF, SAID PLATE MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID JAWS WITH SAID FIRST HOLE NORMALLY ALIGNED WITH SAID PASSAGES, A REMOVABLE PIVOT BOLT NORMALLY PASSING THROUGH SAID HOLE AND SAID PASSAGES, SAID PLATE HAVING A SECOND HOLE THERETHROUGH SIMILAR TO SAID FIRST HOLE AND OFFSET BOTH LONGITUDINALLY AND TRANSVERSELY FROM SAID FIRST HOLE ON ONE SIDE OF SAID FIRST HOLE, AND BOLT BEING SELECTIVELY INSERTABLE THROUGH EITHER SAID FIRST HOLE OR SAID SECOND HOLE, THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID JAWS HAVING A FLOOR, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID FIRST HOLE AND SAID REAR EDGE OF THE PLATE AND BETWEEN SAID SECOND HOLE AND SAID REAR EDGE OF THE PLATE BEING LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID PASSAGES AND SAID FLOOR, AND MEANS FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING SAID STEM ON THE EXTREMITY OF SAID PLUNGER WITH THE STEM IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE PLUNGER. 